Changes
by Roeskva
Summary: SG-1 and the Tok'ra examine some ruins and comes across something which may change their lives.


TITLE: Changes  
AUTHOR: Roeskva  
CATEGORY: Drama/Adventure  
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the  
property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece  
of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and not monetary purposes  
and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Any similarity  
to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.  
SUMMARY: SG-1 and the Tok'ra examine some ruins and comes across something which may change their lives.  
RATING: PG-13  
CHARACTERS: SG-1, Jacob/Selmak, Martouf/Lantash, Freya/Anise, Aldwin/Gerim, others  
STATUS: Complete  
SPOILERS: Up to and including most of SG-1 season 5. Takes place before the episode 'Meridian'.  
AUTHORS NOTES// denotes thoughts or host/symbiote communication. Neither Martouf/Lantash nor Aldwin/Gerim are dead. In my story the Jaffa can not sense symbiotes (as in the 1st season of SG-1). It never made sense to me that they could in later episodes, since they do not have naquadah in their blood and do not communicate with their symbiote.

----------------

The Tok'ra had found some interesting ruins on Werlos, a planet they had been scouting while looking for a new site for a base. Most of the ruins where of Goa'uld origin, but there were also some older ones of unknown origin. These ruins were covered with a writing which they could not easily decipher and Anise was of the opinion that Dr. Daniel Jackson would be able to help them. The Tok'ra agreed it was worth a try and so they contacted the SGC to suggest a joint mission.

-  
"Unscheduled, off world activation," the speakers announced.

General Hammond stepped into the control room, just as Walter Harriman announced, "receiving IDC...it's the Tok'ra, sir."

"Open the iris."

SG-1 had just been getting ready for a survey mission to P3X-543. They arrived in the gate room just as Jacob and Martouf exited the wormhole. Sam quickly stepped forward and hugged her father. "Hi, Dad," she then turned to Martouf and smiled, "Hello, Martouf."

He smiled warmly back, "Samantha...Lantash and I are pleased to see you again."

"Likewise," Samantha said.

Daniel and Teal'c had now also come to say hello, and Jacob and Martouf turned to great them. O'Neill were standing in the background, looking less than pleased at the prospect of having to interact with the Tok'ra again. //If only they had waited a little longer...then we would have been safely gone to P3X-543...// he thought.

"Hello, Jack." Jacob called out to him, "are you up for a peaceful mission together with the Tok'ra?"

"Peaceful is good...what's the catch?"

"No catch...shall we go talk to George?"

General Hammond happily agreed to the joint mission and they started making preparations. Sam were looking forward to both the scientific parts of the trip, as well as the opportunity to spend more time with her father, Martouf, and the other Tok'ra. Daniel could barely contain his enthusiasm at the prospect of ruins of unknown origin.

Arriving on Werlos, they were joined by two additional Tok'ra, namely Aldwin and Anise.

O'Neill groaned to himself. //More snakeheads! As if Marty - and especially his damn headsnake, isn't bad enough. Now I will have to work with Anise. Hopefully her host has gotten over her infatuation with me.//

It turned out he did not have to worry about that. Freya and Anise just nodded at him, then continued past him to Daniel, whom they greeted with a smile almost as large as the one Martouf usually gave Sam. Suddenly O'Neill remembered - Anise was interested in Daniel. //Great, then. They must have decided it's the snakes turn this time. Poor Daniel...well, better him than me.// O'Neill smiled slightly to himself and turned to survey the area around them. //Lots of ruins and old rocks...Daniel must be ecstatic.//

Moments later everyone was ready to start their study of the ruins. The Tok'ra would be working with Daniel and Sam, and soon they were totally immersed in studying the old temples and houses which had once formed a village. Teal'c and O'Neill slowly walked around the area, guarding the perimeter, and feeling slightly bored. They started following a path that led away from the ruins. It was old and overgrown from centuries of disuse. When they passed a mountain side, Teal'c noticed something. "There seems to be something hidden here - perhaps a door. It may be prudent to notify the others. It could be of some significance."

O'Neill looked more closely at the small crack and had to agree that it was possible, likely even that there was a hidden entrance here. He would, however, never have noticed it if Teal'c had not brought it to his attention. "I agree," he took out his radio. "Come in, Carter."

"Yes, Jack, what is it?" Jacob answered.

"Wrong Carter...never mind...Teal'c and I may have found something interesting. Could you get someone to come over here and take a look?"

"Sure, Jack. I'll take care of it."

A little while later Sam, Daniel, and the four Tok'ra arrived.

"Jacob! I said send _someone_, not send _everyone_!"

"Don't blame him, Jack. We all wanted to come and take a look." Daniel said.

"Yes," Freya added. "We had just deciphered a tablet which seems to mention a hidden location, perhaps a mountain complex. This may well be it."

Sam walked closer and examined the area around the secret entrance. "We are lucky that you found it at all...I think a small earthquake recently damaged it...we saw some indications of it around the ruins earlier. If not for that, it would have been almost undetectable...in fact, it may very well have been here since before the Goa'uld arrived. They could have been here for centuries without ever noticing this!"

Even knowing there was a door, it was still difficult to find a way to get it opened. It took their combined effort for nearly an hour before the door budged and opened.

Daniel was about to enter, when O'Neill stopped him. "Better let me go first, there could be all sorts of hidden dangers."

"In something that's probably been deserted for thousands of years?" Daniel grumbled, but allowed O'Neill and Teal'c to go in first. The rest followed as soon as O'Neill signalled all was clear.

They wandered through a long, winding corridor, which strangely enough lit up as they walked along it. The diffuse light didn't seem to come from anywhere, but rather to emanate from the wall itself. From time to time they passed other, smaller corridors leading away from the main one. Here and there alien technology of unknown, but clearly very ancient origin, could be seen.

"The technology seems old." Freya observed.

"...but nonetheless it appears remarkably sophisticated." Daniel added.

"Let's just get to the end of this labyrinth," O'Neill said. "Then you can have all the fun you want, studying this place."

They finally got to the end of the corridor, which opened into a small room with three doors and nothing else. There were markings beside each door, which Daniel and Anise went to look at.

"So, which door do we chose, Daniel?" O'Neill said, "do you think there might be any nasty surprises behind any of them?"

"No, this does not appear to be a test of any kind...the entrance to this place was hidden, so anyone who got inside would be considered legitimate. It was certainly not built by the Goa'uld, but rather by that older culture that lived here before. Now, as to what are behind the doors...I do not know for sure, but..." he paused.

"From what little of their language we have been able to decipher," Anise continued, "the writings beside the doors seems to read 'work room', 'science room' - perhaps laboratory?, and...maybe 'control room'...I suggest we go to the control room first."

"I agree," Sam said, "I think that is our best bet."

"All right, control room it is." O'Neill walked over to the door Anise had indicated as the control room, and stared at it. Not finding any obvious way of opening it, he turned to Anise. "So, what do I do? Say 'open Sesame?...I don't suppose you can tell me how to open it?"

"I can," Freya answered and just looked at him for a moment, then she walked over to the entrance and touched something just above the writing.

The door opened noiselessly and Freya entered, followed by the others. The room immediately lit up, revealing panels and controls all over the place. One thing in particular caught their attention; standing in the middle of the room was a large, shimmering column of moving colours and lights. Fascinated, everyone moved closer to look at it and thus didn't notice that the door started closing behind them. Martouf turned around just in time to see the door close the rest of the way and then apparently disappear.

"The entrance...it's gone!" he exclaimed.

Everyone immediately spun around and looked towards the area where the door had been moments before. Sure enough, it was gone. "Aarggh..." O'Neill yelled, "why does something like this _always_ happen?"

"It does not _always_ happen...merely with a significantly higher frequency than would seem reasonable." Teal'c said. O'Neill just glared at him and turned to Sam.

"Carter, get that door open!" He walked over to one of the walls where he sat down to sulk.

Sam went over to where they had entered the room. Soon Daniel, Teal'c, and the Tok'ra all joined her in the search. There were no trace of the door - indeed, it was as though there had never been a door there at all. Sam sighed and looked over at O'Neill. "The door's just gone. I'm going to try and look at the control panel and see if I can find something useful. Daniel, Anise...you had managed to translate some of their language, right? I could really use your help on this."

"Of course, Sam." Daniel walked over to assist her, as did Anise. They were soon joined by Martouf and Aldwin, while Teal'c and Jacob went over to keep O'Neill company - and to keep him from interrupting the people working on getting them out of there.

After Sam and the others had fiddled with the various controls for some time, a low rumbling was heard. It was soon followed by some sort of slight tremble and a short burst in the glow from the colour-light column - which they had by now concluded had to be some sort of power source. A moment later everything seemed back to normal and the entrance had reappeared. The door opened, and save for a very faint shimmering of the opening, everything looked as before.

"Yes!" O'Neill said, "good work, everyone." He quickly got up and started towards the door. "Better hurry before it decides to disappear again."

Agreeing that this might indeed happen, everyone hurriedly went after O'Neill, out of the control room.

"Jack, there's no reason why we can't examine some of the other rooms and corridors," Daniel said. "We still have no idea what this place is, who the people who built this were...think about what we might learn!"

"I agree," Sam added. "We shouldn't leave yet."

O'Neill turned to look at them. "We just got out from one death trap and you want to wander directly into another? Well, that will have to be tomorrow then..._maybe_, if Hammond deems the risk to be worth it. Right now I'm hungry and it's getting late. I won't risk all of us getting trapped again - and that's final." He gave Daniel a sharp look and continued walking back through the corridors they had followed earlier. The others shrugged and went after him.

"You know, Sam. It does make sense." Jacob said. "We don't know what's in here at all and could easily end up being locked in again."

Sam grudgingly agreed and followed the others. Soon after they were all out in the fresh air again, the secret entrance having closed behind them.

"You know, the entrance looks different somehow," Sam noted, examining the mountain side, "as if it is much better hidden. In fact, even though I _know_ it is there, I can't actually see it anymore..."

Teal'c took a look. "That is correct, Major Carter. It is no longer..." he was interrupted by Martouf.

"Quiet...someone is coming."

They hurried along the path to an outcropping of large rocks, behind which they hid. Seconds later a group of Jaffas marched past. When they were a safe distance away from them, Teal'c turned to the others. "They were Horus guards."

"Yes, thank you, Teal'c. Unfortunately, I know." O'Neill said. "What I would like to know is, what are they _doing_ here? Wasn't this planet supposed to be uninhabited?"

No one had any answers to that and it was quickly agreed that they should return to the SGC and then send out a team to determine what the Jaffa were doing on the planet - if perhaps they were just scouting or if a Goa'uld had decided to move in.

They walked back towards the stargate and soon reached the outskirts of the ruins - that is, the _former_ - or were that future? ruins. What met them was a village or a small city full of life and with intact buildings. For a moment everyone just stared at the sight, dumbstruck.

"Did we take a wrong turn somewhere?" Daniels asked, rhetorically.

"Samantha, could the machinery in the mountain be some sort of...time travel device?" Lantash suggested. "I do not see how else this could possibly have happened."

Sam appeared thoughtful. "Yes...I agree...that seems to be the most likely explanation, as absurd as it seems."

O'Neill groaned. "OK...this is officially the worst day of...well, of a very long time...our team must be cursed or something..."

"We are drawing attention...perhaps we should continue this elsewhere." Teal'c said.

It was true - several villagers were looking at their group. They quickly moved along and when they had turned a corner and no one could see them, they hurried into what appeared to be a barn.

"We need different clothing," Jacob observed. "We should stay here until it is late and then try to find something else to wear."

They all looked at each other and agreed. It would be obvious to anyone who saw them that they were wearing some sort of uniforms. Hopefully the villagers who had seen them would not inform the guards. For now, they sat down to wait for late night and to discuss the situation.

"So, what do we do now?" O'Neill said.

"From what I could determine, the inhabitants of this village are human slaves. There is probably another place close by for the Jaffas." Teal'c turned to Daniel. "Daniel Jackson...if we had followed the path in the other direction instead, would we not have encountered a castle?"

"Yes, we would...I had thought to look closer at the ruins tomorrow, but I guess they are no longer ruins now...and it is probably occupied."

"Most likely by the Goa'uld Geb," Anise said. "We found his name mentioned several times on some of the inscriptions in the temple."

"...and who is this 'Geb'...we haven't run into him before, have we Daniel?"

"No, but if he impersonated the Egyptian God of the same name - and we have no reason to believe otherwise - then we do know something about him. Geb was the God of the earth and is also known as Seb or Keb. It was said that when he laughed, earthquakes happen - it may indicate some sort of advanced weaponry..." he paused. "Oh...also, he was the lover...and brother of Nut, the sky Goddess. They had 4 children - Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephtys. I believe you have heard about some of those. Besides that, Nut was also the daughter...and perhaps wife, of Ra..."

"Nice and complicated - just as usual. Anything else?"

"Yes...according to myth, Thoth was of some assistance to both Nut, Geb, Isis, and Osiris." He turned to the Tok'ra. "Do you know anything else about these Goa'ulds?"

"It might indicate some sort of alliance between these Goa'ulds...we do not have much else to add, except that we know that Geb was killed in a battle with Ra almost 2000 years ago, when he attempted to gain more influence and larger territories." Selmak said.

Sam sighed. "Well, then. If it really is Geb who lives in that castle, then we could be 2000 years in the past, perhaps more."

"Great, just great...this day just keeps getting better and better." O'Neill looked unhappily at the others. //This is all the Tok'ras fault! If they hadn't gone to the SGC to ask for help - yet again - then they would be the only ones trapped in the past - and I could have been home watching 'The Simpsons'. I wonder if I remembered to set the VCR to record?// He sat down.

"We will need to get the secret entrance open again, to access the time travel device, but it may take some time to locate and open the door...and we most certainly can't let the Jaffas see us." Sam said.

"Couldn't we escape through the stargate...somehow find the Tok'ra? Perhaps then we could come up with another way to return to our own time - or at least get some help." Daniel asked.

"No," Selmak answered. "There are no Tok'ra to find - I am the oldest and though I am almost 2000 years old, I am probably not born yet...or perhaps, at most, a prim'ta. Lantash, Anise, and Gerim are mere children - they are all less than 600 years old and were in Egeria's last clutch."

O'Neill's face lit up in a smile, "ah...little kiddies, then, eh?" For some reason this seemed to bring him great pleasure.

Lantash moaned silently. //Why did Selmak have to mention that? Now O'Neill will have endless fun at our expense.//

//I know...and I'm as sorry about that as you are.// Martouf sent waves of comfort towards Lantash.

It was getting late and the sounds outside were quieting down. The time had come to sneak out and get some information about this place, as well as try to find some native clothing. It was decided that the Tok'ra should be the ones to attempt this, as they had the most experience in stealthy missions on Goa'uld planets.

Several hours passed and SG-1 was getting worried, when finally the four Tok'ra came back, unharmed. They were all carrying large bundles of clothing, which they had somehow managed to acquire. Aside from that, they also brought some bread, dried meat, and fruit.

"Where did you get all that?" O'Neill said, "stole it from someone, perhaps?"

Aldwin looked coldly at O'Neill. "Since we are likely staying here for a while, stealing would be...unwise. The people in this village would not appreciate finding their missing clothing on the back of strangers...no, we got it from the local merchant. Freya traded her necklace for the clothes."

"Of course...I understand."

"Freya...your necklace...was that the one you showed me earlier? The one you inherited from your mother?" Daniel asked, concerned.

"Yes, I did not have any others with me."

"I'm sorry," Daniel said. "Perhaps we can get it back later?" He decided he would do his best to get the necklace back to her.

O'Neill actually looked guilty - he felt bad for his earlier comment about stealing.

Everyone changed into the local clothing - it looked somewhat worn, which probably was good if they were to pass themselves of as poor human slaves. At least everything was clean and the clothes fitted reasonably well.

While they changed, Martouf told them about what he had learned about the planet. "Even if we had anywhere to go, we would not be able to get to the chaapa'ai. It is guarded by a surprisingly large group of Jaffas. I talked to some of the people of this village...the Goa'uld of this planet is Geb, as we surmised." He paused a moment, distracted by the sight of Sam in her underwear, trying to hide behind some crates.

//Keep talking, Martouf...then I will keep looking at Samantha...// Martouf grumbled at the unfairness of this, but continued telling about what he had learned.

"There has apparently been a number of battles recently, which Ra has won. As a result of this, the other System Lords are going to accept him as the Supreme System Lord. Most of them will meet at a summit here, which Geb is hosting. Ra will soon be here too, to officially be named the Supreme System Lord."

"I guess this means we couldn't have ended up in a worse time and place." O'Neill said.

Jacob snorted, "yes, you could say that. We will probably soon have more powerful Goa'ulds here than have ever been gathered before - or after. One good thing, though, it means we can pinpoint the time we're in very precisely. It must be 1990 years ago...2 years before Geb was killed when he broke the treaty and attacked Ra, hoping to become Supreme System Lord himself."

//...and I am approximately 2 years old...// Selmak told Jacob.

//Ha...you're younger than me, then. Does that mean _I'm_ the oldest and wisest now?...then you must listen to all of _my_ ideas and suggestions...//

//Very funny!// Selmak grumbled.

Sam looked alarmed. "Then this is a historically very important point in time. We must be very, very careful not to change anything...we must interfere as little as at all possible."

"Couldn't we take the opportunity and eradicate as many Goa'ulds as possible?" Aldwin wondered. "There are no Tok'ra yet and no more than very rare and scattered resistance from the humans - the Goa'uld would feel safe in their superiority and wouldn't know what hit them."

"It is true that it would spare the Galaxy of much grief, but it would be too dangerous," Lantash said. "As far as I understand it, we have no way of knowing how the future - our time - might be affected. As strange as it sounds, we may find ourselves in a worse situation when...if, we return. Is that not true, Samantha."

"Yes, that is exactly the case."

"All right, it's decided then." O'Neill said. "We'll stay the hell out of the snakes way - which is how I prefer it anyway...oh, and we _are_ going home. We'll find that damn entrance and get it to open. Then Carter will work her magic on the time travel device and get us home. End of story."

"What will we do until then? I doubt we can remain concealed here for long and while we have food for tonight, we don't have any means of getting more, unless anyone else has brought jewelry?" Daniel looked very concerned.

"Yes...we had forgotten...we managed to get us all hired to help in the fields. It would seem that many of the people of this village have been requested to help out in the castle because of the summit. They thus have problems finding enough people for the farm work. We will be reporting at a farm tomorrow morning, shortly after dawn. In return for the work we will receive food and shelter, as well as a small amount of currency." Anise told them. "The fields are located along the road to the castle, so we will have the opportunity to observe who arrives and leaves as well."

No one looked happy at the prospect of farm work, but apart from some grumbling, none of them complained much. They needed the work to survive until they - hopefully - soon would be going back to their own time.

After having eaten a simple meal consisting of the bread, fruit, and dried meat, they all went to sleep. Tomorrow morning wasn't far away, the work would be hard, and they would be unaccustomed to it.

Early next morning they showed up at the farmer who had hired them. They were given and unappetizing breakfast consisting of some sort of porridge, then the work began.

As the day passed many different people passed the fields. Even though the work was hard, they had to admit; it was indeed an excellent spot to observe the castle and the arrivals for the summit. There were many Jaffas, as well as plenty of humans going to the castle to work. Aside from that, they also observed five Goa'uld parties on their way to the castle. The constant coming and going of people on the road, as well as the large contingent of guards meant that it would be very difficult to get to the hidden entrance unseen. They could not risk letting the Goa'uld get their hands on the alien time machine, even if it meant they would have to stay in this time.

//You know,// Selmak joked//this work almost makes me wish I were a System Lord...good food, soft beds, exotic human slaves to do your every bidding...//

//Haha...well, I almost agree with you...if not for the fact that you would then be a Goa'uld and I'm not sure I like the idea of being host to one of them...//

Selmak hugged him. //Of course not...I would _never_ want to be a Goa'uld...I just miss my own bed and some good food...//

//Yes, and a little less hard, manual labor.// Jacob added.

They had worked for many hours and all of them were tired and sore. While most of them chose to suffer in silence, O'Neill kept complaining, loudly and frequently - blaming the Tok'ra and calling them snakeheads.

//If O'Neill does not soon stop that...I swear, I _will_ kill him.// Lantash sounded both exasperated and angry.

//I agree...I too would like nothing better than to kill him, but he _is_ Samantha's friend...as strange as it sounds. For her sake we must control ourselves...speaking of Samantha...the view from here is certainly attractive...// he smiled as he looked at Sam. She was working just a few feet in front of him and was currently bent over while she was trying to replant a beet which she had dislodged by accident. Her ass was swaying rather pleasantly before them.

//Yes...it is a very attractive sight indeed,// Lantash said, momentarily forgetting everything about O'Neill//...and it more than makes up for everything else.//

It was now late afternoon and SG-1 and the Tok'ra had almost finished tending to the beet field. They were now very close to the road, when they they spotted yet another Goa'uld party in the distance, moving towards the castle. This Goa'uld had to be very important, judging by the large amount of Jaffas.

"She may be a queen, perhaps one of Ra's consorts. We should move away from the road so as not to alarm the guards." Selmak said.

They started to walk towards the inner parts of the field, when a large Jaffa with the symbol of the Horus clan yelled after them. "Stop immediately. Come back and kneel before your Goddess."

They stopped, turned around, and reluctantly took a few steps back towards the road, then started to get down on the ground.

"Kneel! Insolent human slaves!" The Jaffa shouted when they were not fast enough, then proceeded to hit the closest of them - which incidentally were Jacob - over the shoulders so he was thrown several feet. Martouf quickly jumped to catch him, but was hit hard over the head before he could reach him, falling nose first to the ground, unconscious.

"Martouf!" Sam jumped up and would have run to him, had Teal'c not stopped her and pulled her back down. The Jaffa took a threatening step in her direction.

By now the Goa'uld had reached them. "What is going on here?" she demanded.

The Jaffa quickly fell to his knees. "The slaves were defiant, my Queen. Do you wish me to punish them?"

The Goa'uld queen got a strange expression on her face and looked down at Martouf who were lying on the ground close to her, still unconscious. She then seemed to make a decision and her expression returned to the coldly cruel one she had worn before. "No, there will be time enough for that later...we have decided that they might entertain us tonight. Perhaps this will pass some time in this boring place. Bring them!" She turned around and walked back towards the road.

Several guards surrounded SG-1 and the four Tok'ra and ordered them to follow, which they did. Sam and Jacob helped Lantash who was just starting to wake up.

"How are you?" Sam whispered, clearly concerned.

"Better, but my head still hurts - I am healing it, though. Martouf is still unconscious." Lantash whispered back, using Martouf's voice, so as to not draw unwanted attention from the guards.

They were taken to the nearby castle, and after a short wait they were led to the cell block and thrown into a holding cell. After some of the customary gloating, the guards left.

"Great, just great..." O'Neill grumbled.

"I do not understand how the Goa'uld could avoid detecting what we are..." Aldwin said. "She was standing less than a foot away from Martouf...she _must_ have sensed Lantash."

Selmak looked thoughtful for a while. "I am certain that she did. She was further from me and _I_ could sense her. Besides, for a short moment she got a really strange expression on her face. I think she decided that we were an odd group and brought us because she wants to see if we have something which she can use to her advantage."

"...and since the Tok'ra doesn't exist yet, her only conclusion would have to have been that we were Goa'ulds...yes, I can see why that would appear strange," Lantash said. He was sitting up now, looking much better. The head wound was healed and Martouf had awoken, but was still somewhat groggy.

Daniel smiled at him. "You mean, it's not every day 4 Goa'uld and a Jaffa are working in the fields together with three humans?"

"Exactly." Martouf was now in control and smiled back at Daniel. "I am certain that it confused her greatly."

"Good, let her be confused." O'Neill said. "It may be to our advantage. Does anyone have an idea that might help us to escape?"

"Can't we just tell her who we are? That we are from the future, I mean. Then Selmak, or perhaps one of the others of you guys, can pretend to be a great System Lord from our time, and that she should let you go back?" Daniel suggested.

Jacob appeared unconvinced. "That _might_ have worked if she hadn't just caught all of us working in the fields, dressed as poor slaves. No Goa'uld would_ever_ do that, under _any_ circumstances."

Selmak came forward. "It is very unlikely that she would have helped us anyway...in fact she would probably have had us killed. The Goa'uld does not feel compelled to help one of their own either, and especially not someone who would be a future rival."

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to SG-1 and the Tok'ra, the Goa'uld queen was standing in her room together with her lo'tar and her first prime. They were observing the people in the holding cell, as well as listening to their conversation.

The queen turned to her two closest friends. "What do you think? Are they speaking the truth?"

"It is almost too strange to believe, but yes...I believe they are." The human said.

"Agreed. Why would they lie? They have no way of knowing of the existence of the listening devices," the Jaffa said.

"True...Sulan, but what kind of Goa'uld behave like they do? They have human - and Jaffa - friends...they allow their hosts to speak..."

"...Goa'ulds like you, Egeria," the one named Sulan said.

"Yes...but to meet others...I feared I was alone in my opinions. It was so very strange when I sensed symbiotes in them - one of them in the young man that was lying unconscious at my feet - clearly with no entry scar on the neck, dressed as a human slave...and one more thing, they mentioned the Tok'ra, even though this resistance against Ra is little more than an idea yet."

"You have spawned your first children who will share your ideals - perhaps, if the prisoners are truly from the future, then maybe they are proof that you succeeded?"

"Dare I hope they are my children? That the Tok'ra will truly become what I hope?"

"One of them is named Selmak. I believe you mentioned naming one of our larvae that," her lo'tar said.

"Yes, Svenn, I did." She smiled lovingly at him. //What do you think, Ariane?// Egeria asked her host.

//I think we should go and talk to them, find out the truth.//

//Agreed.//

-  
Meanwhile, in the castle's dungeon.

Everyone except O'Neill was sitting along the walls, partly trying to think of a way to escape, but mostly just feeling depressed. O'Neill was pacing back and forth in the cell, driving the rest of them crazy.

"Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c said, "you should sit down and conserve your energy. We do not know when we will be fed."

"I know, I know...it's just driving me NUTS...Teal'c, how many times have we been in a Goa'uld holding cell?...countless! That's how many...and in a few moments a damn Goa'uld is probably going to float in here to gloat..." he was interrupted by a voice from outside the cell.

"I do not know if you would consider this 'floating', I do have these flowing robes - part of the position, I'm afraid - but I most certainly did not come here to gloat."

They all looked in her direction. It was the female Goa'uld from earlier in the day, all right, but this time she was only accompanied by one Jaffa - and it was not the one that had assaulted them earlier.

"I apologize for the way you were treated before, but that Jaffa is in the service of Ra and he tend to be overly protective of Ra's queens and other 'property'...my name is Egeria - I am hoping that will have some meaning for you?"

"Egeria!" Martouf exclaimed, then quickly gave Lantash control.

"Our queen. We are honored to meet you..." he and the other Tok'ra, as well as Sam and Teal'c fell to their knees.

"Please do not kneel before me...I neither wish it nor do I deserve it." They rose. "Now...please tell me...who are you?"

"You are our Queen...our Mother," Selmak said. "I am Selmak, and I believe you have already given birth to me?"

"We are from the distant future," Aldwin quickly added, "most of us won't be born for more than 1400 years, but yes, we are your children..." Sam sent him a look of warning. They had to be very careful about what they told her, lest they change their future. Hopefully, everyone would remember this, despite their excitement.

Egeria smiled at them. "Yes, Selmak...I do indeed have a child with that name...born in a clutch I had just over two years ago...I am very pleased to meet you."

O'Neill muttered something under his breath about 'the oldest and wisest' being a small kid. Daniel hit him in the side with an elbow before he could say anything else on the subject. He leaned back against the wall and listened.

A while later he started to get impatient again//it's disgusting, the snakeheads are just gushing all over her...and what about getting us out of here. That should be easy for her, if she really is one of Ra's queens!//

"Hey...Egeria...what about getting us out of here?"

She turned to O'Neill//he seems very impatient - and not very polite.// Ariane pointed out.

//True, but we have imprisoned him and those he is responsible for, so I guess some of it is understandable...I do agree with you, though.// She smiled to O'Neill, "I will do my best to get you out of here, and to give you the time you need to get to your time travel device. It may take some time, though, as tonight there will be a grand celebration of Ra, with attendance of all major System Lords. The place will be full of guards."

"Egeria, we must not forget that Ra's prime took part in their capture...he will have informed Ra by now." The Jaffa beside her said.

"I know, Sulan." She turned back to O'Neill, "unfortunately, Ra may decide to call for some or all of you...as 'entertainment' for the party tonight. I will leave now and attempt to 'distract' him." She got a disgusted look on her face. "I will try to return later or send someone for you, when I have made arrangements.

"Egeria," Anise looked slightly embarrassed, "...our Queen...could I...could I ask for a huge favour?" she swallowed nervously.

"Of course, my child," she smiled warmly at the young Tok'ra.

"In our future...we are getting very few. It is difficult to find willing hosts and many have been killed...our population dwindles constantly and we do not have a queen to give birth to new Tok'ra. Could you...spawn a queen?...perhaps hide her for us so we know were to find her...please?"

"You do not have a queen?" Egeria asked//I wonder...am I dead in their future?//

//Perhaps you are merely lost?// Ariane tried to comfort her symbiote.

//...and what about my daughter...is she lost or dead too?// Egeria suddenly felt miserable and helpless//...and so many of my children will die in the future, children not yet born - and all because of my choice to be different. My belief that my way is the right one. Do I have the right to do this to them?...but my choice _is_ the right one. It is _wrong_ to suppress other sentient beings...//

//You have made the right choice...and your children knows it and agrees with you. Don't be sad, my Egeria.// Her host sent warmth and comfort towards her symbiote.

"Eh...hi, I'm Ariane - I'm Egeria's host. She is a bit depressed right now...thinking about the fate of her children. Also, she is worried - as am I - about the fact that you do not have a Queen? She gave birth to one in the same clutch you were in, Selmak. In fact, she is currently being carried by Sulan. Her name is Ran."

Egeria came to the fore again, "as soon as she matures, I will have her put in a stasis jar and hidden in one of the rooms in the mountain complex where you found the time travel device. That way, she will be safe from whatever would otherwise have killed her." She looked worriedly at her first prime. "I just hope this does not mean you will be killed soon, my loyal Sulan."

He smiled. "Do not worry, my queen. I will not let them kill me while I can still serve you - and I will_never_ let anyone harm Ran."

Soon after, Egeria left together with her first prime, to prepare for the evening celebration. SG-1 and the Tok'ra were discussing this new turn of events - with the Tok'ra being very pleased that they had met their Queen and mother.

"Dad, what is it? You look worried." Sam said.

"Perhaps nothing...Selmak remembers hearing the name Sulan - as someone loyal to Egeria, someone who was killed around the time when she turned openly against Ra."

"When did she do that?"

Jacob's head dipped shortly as Selmak took control. "A couple of years after my birth...just around the time of a great summit of the System Lords."

"Wonderful! We ended up in the middle of one of the most sensitive and important times possible. We must be even more careful than expected, so as to not change anything vital." Sam said with a very troubled expression.

"If this is true, then Sulan will be killed very soon, long before the larval queen has time to mature and be placed in a stasis jar for us to find." Lantash said. "We must do _something_!"

"What can we do, if we are not allowed to interfere?" Aldwin asked, looking defeated.

Teal'c seemed to consider something. "Could we perhaps make a trade?"

"A trade? What do you mean?" Aldwin looked puzzled.

"Major Carter, would it change our future if my symbiote took Ran's place and I carried her?"

Sam considered this. "Perhaps not...if you are absolutely certain that Sulan will be killed before the symbiote matures."

"I am certain." Selmak said.

"All right. How do we do this then? Neither Sulan nor Egeria can be told of what will happen."

"Let me talk to her," a voice said from outside their cell. "Perhaps I can suggest the change as an extra safety measure..."

"Who are you? Why should she listen to you?" Selmak asked.

"My name is Svenn...I am Egeria's lo'tar - and I provided the code of life for her first Tok'ra batch...so, I guess...I'm your father, Selmak."

Selmak got a rather strange expression. "Eh..I am pleased to meet you, sir..." feeling shy, she quickly pushed Jacob forward.

"She really is happy to meet you, she is just shy and don't know what to say," he smiled. "So, I presume you didn't just come here to say hello?"

"No, I came to tell you that Ra has decided that he wants some extra entertainment for tonight - and that he thinks you should be the entertainment - all of you. I do not know how he or anyone else will react when they inevitably learns that you are not just a group of human slaves," he shuddered. "Anyway, that will not happen, as Egeria will make you 'disappear' on the way to the throne room. They will come for you soon." He left after having made sure no guards were around.

//Your dad's a lo'tar?// Jacob asked.

//Apparently.//

//So...no royal blood on that side of the family, huh?// Jacob chuckled.

Selmak didn't seem interested in discussing this further, so she ignored her host.

About an hour later, both Sulan and Ra's first prime arrived together with a group of guards. They unlocked the cell door and yelled at the prisoners to hurry up.

They had barely reached the end of the corridor when there was a commotion behind them. They turned around just in time to see Svenn shoot two of the guards, then jump to safety behind a pillar. In the confusion, Sulan quickly raised his staff weapon and shot Ra's first prime and then the Jaffa beside him.

Teal'c clubbed the nearest guard over the head and took his zat'nik'tel and staff weapon; dematerialising the guard with the zat'nik'tel and then handing the weapon to O'Neill.

Sam, Martouf, and Jacob had likewise managed to overpower and kill a Jaffa each, so they were now armed. Together they all made short work of the rest of the guards.

"Quickly, follow me this way," Sulan said, pushing something beside a panel. An entrance to a gloomy tunnel appeared. He nodded to Svenn who ran first into the corridor and disappeared in the darkness. "Egeria has left the celebration and gone back through the chaapa'ai to collect her forces. She will soon turn openly against Ra, having now seen that her way is indeed the right one. She will probably hide with a friend of hers - a young, minor System Lord called Jolinar. Egeria believes she will soon turn fully to her cause, as she is already sympathetic."

SG-1 and the Tok'ra followed Sulan into the corridor. "I was born on this world...my father was a guard in this castle. It gives me certain knowledge, certain advantages the others don't have..."

They continued through the gloom for about 10 minutes, meeting up with Svenn, then Sulan touched another panel and they emerged out in the fresh air, behind a building just outside the castle. It was still twilight, even though it was getting very late in the evening. Aldwin took a quick glance out behind the wall. "Several guards are coming this way," he whispered. "We should find another place to hide."

"I suggest we split up." Sulan said. "Svenn, you take four of these people and try to get away by crawling behind that wall. It leads to the hedge around a nearby field. You should be able to get away by following that. The rest of us will provide cover and try to meet with you just before dawn, outside the mountain complex."

Svenn nodded. "Agreed." He, Teal'c, O'Neill, Daniel, and Anise quickly ran for the wall and jumped over and behind it, while Sulan and the others kept the Jaffas occupied by firing at them. When they decided that Svenn's group had had enough time to get away, they ran for the wall, while firing at the pursuing Jaffa.

Sulan was the last, and just when he thought he would make it safely, he was hit in the back by a staff blast, causing him to fall heavily down behind the wall.

"Damn," Sam said. "We can't stay here. We'll have to carry him." Martouf started to help her lift him while Aldwin and Jacob shot after the approaching guards, making them stop their approach and run to hide behind a building. This didn't stop them from firing towards the wall and the people behind it, though.

Sulan coughed hard, which made some blood start dribbling from his mouth. "You can't save me...I am too badly wounded." He turned to look at Sam. "Please...I beg you...take Ran..."

Sam looked scared, "...but, she is only two...she is not ready to take a host yet..."

"She is young," Lantash agreed, "but she is old enough to take a host, even though it will be 8-10 years before she is mature...please, Samantha. You _must_ do this. It is the Tok'ras only chance to survive as a race - and there is no other available host...I promise you, Martouf and I will help you and support you in any way."

Sam looked at him, "I do understand, it's just...I know it's stupid, but I'm still scared because of Jolinar...the thought of losing control and threatening my friends...but I think I can do it ..."

"If it is any consolation, consider this; Ran is much too young to take control from you, unless you allow her control...besides, no Tok'ra would do so if it were not an extreme emergency. You would not have any reason to fear that you will not be in control of your own body...and you would have many years in which to learn to share your body with her."

Martouf took over, "...there is one more thing I feel that you should know, Samantha. Ran is also too young to be able to leave her host. You will have to keep her until she matures, if you do this...which I sincerely hope you will agree to...for the future of the Tok'ra...as Lantash said, we will help you in any way and be there for you if you need us."

Sulan started coughing again. Sam thought it over for a second or two more, then made her decision. "All right, I will become her host...now, what do I do?"

"Thank you..." Sulan said weakly, then lost consciousness.

Ran had crawled partway out of Sulan's pouch and Lantash now carefully helped her the rest of the way out. He held her up to Sam, who just looked at her for a moment, then smiled and opened her mouth, allowing her access.

-  
When Sam awoke a little while later, Martouf and Jacob quickly helped her up. "We managed to shoot most of the guards," Aldwin said, "the rest ran away, but we better get going before they get reinforcements." She groggily nodded.

"Will you be OK, Sammie?" Jacob asked, worried.

"Yes, I think so, Dad." Jacob gave her a quick hug, then motioned for her to follow.

Supported by Martouf, Sam followed the others along the route Svenn and his group had taken earlier. They soon found themselves out in the fields, it was now after midnight and very dark. This was to their advantage, as they hurriedly walked back towards the village. They soon found the empty barn they had hid in the night before, and snuck inside again. It was still quiet and desolate and they decided to stay here and lay low until it was time to meet the others.

Looking behind the crates, they found their clothing and gear untouched. They picked up their weapons and other things, but left the clothing for later. Despite the late hour it would be safest to appear as inconspicuous as possible, and the best way of doing this was to be dressed like the other villagers.

Exhausted from the work and other events of the day, they relaxed against the wall furthest back, hidden behind hay and crates.

"Sulan died?" Sam asked. She had been somewhat groggy after the blending and just now remembered.

"Yes, almost immediately after you became Ran's host." Aldwin looked worried. "Will that change our future? - that Sulan died, I mean?"

"Not likely," Selmak said. "I know he was supposed to die right around the time when Egeria officially became Ra's enemy. Sulan said that she had left to do just that...so, perhaps, he was supposed to die while helping us?"

"Perhaps." Sam again returned to her own thoughts - or more precisely, to speaking with Ran. She was very young and didn't feel confident being given control or talking to others yet. She was actually more scared than Sam, especially since the future of the Tok'ra race now depended on her. Sam and Ran were, however, comforting each other and already felt that they would become good friends.

A few feet away, Martouf and Lantash was observing Sam, being somewhat worried for her.

//We should go to Samantha and comfort her, she looks distressed. We should make sure she is not still scared.//

//I'm not so sure that she would welcome our interference, Lantash. We might remind her too much of what happened when she became host to Jolinar, now when she is again a host. I fear she is not happy and did not wish this.//

//I do not think Jolinar is a problem for her anymore, but her new symbiote _is_ very young. They may both be confused...if you will not go and talk to them, then let me have control.//

Martouf sighed and gave in. Perhaps his persistent symbiote was right. He got up and walked the short distance to Sam and sat down beside her.

"How are you feeling, Samantha? - and how is Ran?"

Sam looked up and smiled at him. "Pretty good, actually. I like her...I'm sure we will get along great..." //Come on...just come forward and say hi. No one will hurt you and they are all waiting to meet you.// Sam gently pushed Ran forward.

"Hello..." she said, smiling shyly to Martouf. "I'm Ran."

"Hello, Ran." He gave her a bright smile and she quickly gave back control to Sam, hiding in the furthest corner of her mind.

"She's a bit shy," Sam said. "She also said she would probably stay dormant much of the time until she is older."

Martouf's eyes shone briefly, as Lantash assumed control. "A shame...and I was looking forward to getting to know her...but I guess that will have to wait some time. I do understand, of course...the world is a scary place to be thrown into..."

//Lantash! Behave! Don't scare her...give me control _at once_!//

//Relax, I'm not going to scare her...I just expressed my sincere wish to get to know her...and perhaps I hoped that she would be goaded into coming forward again.//

"Samantha, Ran," Lantash said. "I did not mean to sound unfriendly. I can very well understand why Ran does not feel ready to meet the world yet - she should not have had to. However, what has happened has happened and we are all very interested in both learning more about our new Queen and in helping her learn more about us...her people. We have been without a queen for far too long."

"Ran understands...she says she will try to come out and talk to you from time to time...getting used to you all, she just want to take it a bit slow." Sam looked thoughtful. "Lantash...something else entirely...Sulan mentioned that Egeria would go to Jolinar and hide. I assume it is _your_ Jolinar she were going to? I thought she was born a Tok'ra?"

"Yes, it was her...and no, she wasn't born a Tok'ra."

Sam nodded. "Hearing about this...I do seem to remember her being a System Lord."

Lantash didn't look happy. "She was originally a minor System Lord who became good friends with Egeria, and started to agree with her ideas. She was very young - having claimed her small empire when her father was killed. I believe she had always doubted whether the Goa'uld way was right...she had started talking to her host very early - probably because she took her host while she was still too young to be in proper control."

"Yes...I remember now...she was still ashamed that she had been a Goa'uld."

"I know," he nodded. "We tried to convince her that she had no reason to be...she herself had realised that what the Goa'uld did was wrong, and she _chose_ to become Tok'ra. The majority of the rest of us was born Tok'ra and thus never had to make that choice."

"That is true...I hadn't thought of that. She certainly does deserve respect for that, it can't have been easy, just as it must have been very difficult for Egeria to come to the realisation that she did...Lantash, something else...if Jolinar was a System Lord 2000 years ago...eh, I mean now...even though she was very young...then why is Selmak considered the 'oldest and wisest' and not her?"

"Well, there are several reasons for this - part of it is because she actually spent several hundred years in a stasis jar, as punishment for her support of Egeria. She was on display in Ra's palace for much of that time...she had been captured a few years after she chose to become a Tok'ra. This is part of the explanation - since time didn't pass for her while she was in stasis, she actually _was_ younger than Selmak. Also, some of that about being the 'oldest and wisest' actually stems from a sort of joke Jolinar and Selmak had going. Selmak is born Tok'ra, so Jolinar said that she was the oldest of the true Tok'ra...besides, Selmak actually is the contemplative one, while Jolinar - intelligent as she was - always tended to make more action-oriented choices...finally, when you met us, Jolinar was dead...thus making Selmak the oldest by default." Lantash looked distant, sad - as if he was remembering his time with Jolinar. "I miss her," he stated simply, to Sam's great surprise. She hadn't expected him to admit something like that. Sam immediately felt sorry for him and slid closer, putting an arm around his shoulders to comfort him.

They sat like that for a while. Martouf and Lantash were now feeling better and had just decided to talk to Sam about her future with the Tok'ra and - perhaps, with them, when Jacob noted that it was time to go and meet with the others. Martouf sighed and helped Sam up.

//There will be time to talk to Samantha later. Now, when she is host to the queen of the Tok'ra, she will most likely not be allowed to go back to going on dangerous missions with SG-1...we can not risk it. I am sure she will eventually realise this, and accept it. The tunnels are probably not a safe place either - with all the attacks we have had lately...perhaps somewhere safe on Earth, as long as the NID does not know about it. Maybe we can ask to be the Queen's protector and tutor in matters of the Tok'ra? Then we would also get to spend time with Samantha.//

//That is an excellent idea, Lantash.//

//Of course it is. It is _my_ idea.//

Martouf sighed again, this time over his symbiote. He realised that they were now almost at the mountain complex. When they reached the place were the entrance supposedly was, Svenn, Teal'c, O'Neill, and Anise came out from behind an outcropping. Svenn stepped up to Selmak.

"Hello, Selmak. I am pleased that you have made it safely, my son...or is it daughter?" He smiled to her, then realised Sulan was not with them. "What happened to Sulan...and Ran?"

"I regret having to inform you that Sulan died fighting Ra's Jaffa. His last wish was that Ran be saved - which she was. Samantha is now her host."

"I understand." Svenn now looked very sad. Sulan had been his best friend, as well as Egeria's friend and ally. He would now have to bring her the sad tidings of the death of their friend - he would be sorely missed. At least Ran had survived. That was something and soothed his pain.

O'Neill was enraged. "You did _what_ Carter? You have a damn _snake_ in your head?"

"You will cease speaking like that about our new Queen. _Immediately_!" Lantash snarled. The other Tok'ra looked equally hostile.

"Colonel...that was just so inconsiderate! How dare you...she is just a kid, and besides, this time I'm a _willing _host - or don't you believe I'm able to make an informed choice on my own?" Sam said, angrily.

"Could you all continue this later, perhaps? The sun will rise soon and then we can't expect to be safe here anymore." Jacob pointed out, "Sam, can you open this entrance?"

"Maybe, if I can even _find_ it again...eh, another thing...where is Daniel?" Sam asked, as she walked closer to the area of the mountain where she knew the opening was supposed to be.  
"He needed to go to the city to pick up some...artifact, I think he called it...he borrowed some credits from me. He promised he would be back before dawn." Svenn said.

Sam shook her head. How typical Daniel to run off to get something just when they were getting ready to leave - probably some priceless _rock_ of some kind from this time! Oh, well, what else is new...she started looking for the hidden door. After looking at the mountain side for a little while, she spotted a slight difference in the colour of the rock, which marked the entrance. She set to work trying to detect the opening mechanism.

//Ran...I apologize for O'Neill's behaviour. He has trouble understanding that Tok'ra and Goa'uld are not the same. Intellectually he knows it to be true, but he can't always accept it anyway...that does not, however, excuse his behaviour towards you.//

//Thank you. From what I can see in your memory, this type of behaviour is typical for him. I believe some of it may also stem from his wish to protect his people, though he sometimes does not understand what the right way to help may be. Understanding him doesn't fully help me though...his words still hurt.//

Sam mentally sent warmth and comfort towards her symbiote//I won't let him or anyone hurt you, I promise.//

Ran hugged her host. //Thank you...another thing. While technically, I suppose I am a child, our genetic memory means that I am not an innocent little one with no knowledge of the world - even though I admit to being somewhat shy. You don't have to protect me against everything, and you certainly shouldn't avoid taking a mate...Oh, I know you are interested in Martouf and Lantash - don't try to lie to someone who has access to your thoughts - and it would please me greatly if you should chose to pursue them. As you know, as a queen I will need a mate when I mature...//

Sam blushed. //Eh...I knew that, of course...regarding Martouf and Lantash...I promise you that I will think about it...// She suddenly noticed a very small indentation in the surface of the rock. //Ha...found it!// She pressed it and the door opened.

"Nice work, Carter." O'Neill said, pushing past her and first into the corridors. A short while later he returned. "Everything looks fine...no signs of any Goa'uld activity."

It was about time that they had found the entrance and had gotten it opened; the sky was already starting to turn red with the dawn. They now heard someone running towards them, and turned to see Daniel. When he reached them he stopped and gasped for air.

"Good that you could join us, Daniel." O'Neill said. "What took you so long?...never mind, we can talk about that later. We should hurry before we are detected."

"Yes...and I have to leave too," Svenn said. "Egeria is waiting for me." They said goodbye to him and he hurriedly left. The others took a last look around - no one was watching - and then went into the corridors. The door closed behind them and was again virtually indistinguishable from the rock for anyone who didn't know it was there.

SG-1 and the Tok'ra walked in silence to the control room. Much had happened during these two days and everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Once they reached the control room and everyone was inside, Sam, Daniel, Anise, and Martouf went to the control panel. The door had closed, just as it did the last time.

"So, do you guys know how to get us home?" Jacob asked.

Sam looked up from what she was doing. "Yes, Dad. I think I know what we did last time and how to reverse it. Just give us some time...we have to be careful."

"Take all the time you need...just get us home safely, Carter." O'Neill said. He walked over to the console where Sam and the others were working. "I'm sorry...it was wrong of me to talk like that before. I guess it just reminded me of when you were taken over by Jolinar...you know?"

"Is that an apology?" Sam asked. "Because if it is, then you need to speak to Ran, not me." She bowed her head and pushed Ran forward. Her eyes glowed briefly as she looked at O'Neill.

"Yes?"

//Damn Carter! Why did she have to do that? Now I have to apologize to the snake...// he thought it over for a little while//...and perhaps that is as it should be...it's only fair. I wasn't nice to her when I had just met her and she hadn't done anything...// He sighed, then pulled himself together. "I'm sorry, Ran. I didn't mean to be like that. I realize it wasn't fair..."

Ran smiled at him. "I understand. Sam tells me that you hate the Goa'uld intensely...that is good. So do I, but I am more than a little insulted that you have difficulty separating Goa'uld and Tok'ra in your mind...and that you think of us as snakes...however, I do hope we can eventually become friends, as Sam considers you such...apology accepted."

"Heh." Jacob said, "...she's very direct, for someone so young...and here I thought she was shy..."

Before anyone could reply to that, Anise said, "I believe every parameter has been set correct. Do you not agree, Major Carter?"

'Yes, let's try." She pushed a few buttons, then the low rumbling noise from the first time returned, again followed by a trembling, and then the light from the power source column brightened. It was clear that something was drawing a lot of power. Shortly after the door reappeared, again showing a faint, shimmering effect.

"We're back in our own time?" Daniel asked.

"Hopefully. Only one way to know for sure, though." Sam said, gesturing towards the door.

Once outside, they followed the path back to the village - or the ruins, depending on what had happened.

"What if we _are_ in the right time, but something went wrong - if something was changed because of what we did?" Daniel asked, voicing every ones concern.

"Shut up, Daniel. Don't summon any more catastrophes, OK?" O'Neill said.

A few moments later they reached the outskirts of...the ruins, thankfully. Everyone sighed in relief. At least they had traveled forward in time, but was it the right time? Just as they came within sight of the stargate, an incoming wormhole opened and then their radios came to life. "This is General Hammond, is anyone receiving this?"

"This is O'Neill. We hear you."

"Colonel! You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice! We have had search parties looking for you the whole week, since you went missing. They had turned up nothing whatsoever, and we had just about given up on you."

"A week! We haven't been gone for a _week_...two days, at most!"

"Perhaps not, sir. We may not have returned to the exact same time that we left...there were some uncertainties when we calculated the parameters, but apparently we ended up very close to when we left." Sam said.

O'Neill nodded, then spoke into the radio. "It's a rather long story, sir. We'll brief you later...are we cleared to come home or have you locked out our IDC's?"

"I'm sending SG-3 and SG-7 to meet you in 30 minutes. You can go home together with them. Did you run into any problems?"

"...eh...I suppose, nothing much worse than usual. I'll tell you more at the briefing." He looked at Sam for a moment and seemed to consider something, then made a decision, "we're OK. O'Neill out."

"Thank you, sir...for letting me tell General Hammond about this myself." Sam said.

He nodded. "Just don't make me regret it...I _do_ realise Ran is not a Goa'uld. I just still have some problems...accepting that my 2nd in command has one of those sn...s_ymbiotes_ in her head, _again_."

"Understood, sir," she smiled to him, then they both went over to join the others who had sat down along one of the more intact walls, to wait for the other SG-teams to come and pick them up.

Martouf and Lantash decided to take the opportunity to start convincing Sam why she should stop going on dangerous missions and allow them to become her and Ran's protectors and tutors. It would not be an easy task. Jacob followed the discussion with interest, making bets with Selmak on how long it would take them to convince her. Then something else caught their attention. Daniel had gone to talk with Anise and Freya. After a little while, he pulled something out of a pocket and gave to them, and immediately was rewarded with a huge smile. Then Freya pulled Daniel close and gave him a warm kiss. Everyone else stopped what they were doing and just stared at them.

"OK, kids. What is going on?" O'Neill asked, being somewhere between annoyed and amused, and certainly surprised.

Freya let go of Daniel and looked up. "Daniel went and bought me back my necklace!" She turned back to Daniel and smiled. "I am very, very grateful for that." She embraced him again.  
//What did I say?// Anise pointed out. //I told you...he is a much better choice for a mate than O'Neill...so much more considerate.//

//I agree. Now shut up.//

The others just smiled and returned to their various discussions, and to wait for the other SG-teams. It didn't take long before the wormhole opened and SG-3 and SG-7 came to pick them up. To their great relief, everything appeared normal when they returned to the SGC. Some research, both on Earth and with the Tok'ra confirmed that their trip to the past had not made any discernible changes. Apparently, everything had happened as it was meant to, and all was back to the way it was before...except for a few important changes. The Tok'ra now had a Queen.

THE END


End file.
